Break Me
by Fading Footprints
Summary: Hermione Granger used to be strong, independent, and stubborn but everything changed after her divorce with Ron.Hermione was broken and Harry tried to help her. When Harry runs out of options, he is left with asking Draco Malfoy to help save his best friend. Will they be able to save Hermione? Or will it be too late? Dramione. Rate M because of dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/n: This story has been stuck in my head for awhile so I thought I would post it.**

"Bloody, Granger." Draco Malfoy seethed.

As he mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen next.

"Granger," He greeted her when he walked into the room. "You have gone from Brightest Witch of Our Age to the Dumbest."

It was so easy to insult her. Especially since he was fed up with constantly seeing her like this. He endured enough of her suffering during their school years together. The war ended three years ago and he didn't think they would keep seeing each other… at least not like this.

She was laying down on the bed, her head tilted up staring at the ceiling. Her frizzy bushy hair was so big, you couldn't tell there was a white pillow underneath her head. She looked awful. Her clothes were ripped and there was blood on them, but her skin was a lot worse. It was badly bruised and there was a new scar on her right arm.

"Ferret is that anyway to greet your patient?" She shot back not taking her eyes off the ceiling.

She knew what he would say next, because she has heard it a hundred times before. She hated him always seeing her like this. He was nothing but awful to her when they went to school. But now he is different and so is she.

"It is Healer Malfoy to you," He spat as he walked up to her bedside. "Now sit up and let me assess you."

Hermione finally made eye contact with the blond haired man. She slowly pulled herself in a sitting position and faced his direction. His grey eyes were fixated on her right arm. She knew deep down he didn't care how many scars graced her skin now. She will always be a mud-blood in his eyes, worthless of his respect.

"Granger," He spoke softly as his right index finger traced over her new scar. She used to shiver at his touch, but it was only because his hands are always so cold. She is used to his touch now. "This has to end. I am a healer and a damn good one-"

"I wouldn't say that." Hermione knocked him down a peg or two. He had a big enough ego already so she wouldn't tell him the truth. The truth is, he is the best Healer in London.

"Hermione, I can't let you go home." Her name sounded weird on his tongue.

She was always Granger to him, and he was always Ferret to her. Even though she knew he thought she lost her marbles. She also knew one day he would break. All the other Healers from day one wanted her to stay longer in their care. Malfoy was the only one who allowed her to go home.

"Draco, please don't do this." She begged him to change his mind.

"I can't keep doing this every week," He sighed heavily as he muttered a spell to heal her bruises. "I am bloody tired of seeing you so broken. I can't do this anymore, Hermione."

"Stop calling me that," She hissed at him. She felt the rage boiling inside of her. He always knew how to get under her skin. "It's Granger to you. Now discharge me so I can go home…I promise I won't come back."

Her big brown eyes pleaded for him to given into her request. Draco knew she was stubborn, but he couldn't let her go again. He had allowed this to go on for too long, and it needs to end. "No," His definitive answer had pushed her over the edge.

Her fists began to pound on his muscular chest, but after a few minutes she gave up. She was too weak to fight him. She cried into his chest. He was always supposed to hate her enough to let her go home. After a few minutes Draco had removed himself from the room. He didn't say another word to her before he left. She was used to his stoic demeanor.

Hermione remembered the first time she had the displeasure of being in his care.

 _"_ _Merlin's Beard…is that you, Granger?" Draco Malfoy gasped appalled. It was extremely unprofessional but he didn't care. "The Weasel has a mean streak?"_

 _Hermione Granger laid on the hospital bed with bruises all over her body, and scars on her arm. If it wasn't for her bushy hair, Draco wouldn't have been able to recognize her. Draco has always suspected The Weasel to have a mean streak, but he also expected Granger to the type of woman not to put up with it. After-all she is a war Heroine and loved by everyone in London. After she punched him in third year, he pitied anyone who got on her bad side. However looking at her now it seemed like the tough girl he knew in school was long gone._

 _Today was one of the few times since they had seen each other since the war. Other than the occasional run in; they managed to stay out of each other's way._

 _Hermione remembered hearing a rumor about Malfoy becoming a Healer, but she thought it was hogwash. "Malfoy, is that anyway to greet your patient?" Hermione snapped. He always had a tendency of getting under her skin._

 _"_ _Suppose not," He smirked at her. "But it's only you, Granger."_

 _Malfoy walked over to her bedside, and she knew the drill. As she sat up and faced him; she took in the man before her. He was no longer a scrawny young boy, instead he was a fit young man. Any witch in their right mind would find him attractive, but not her. She knew him and beauty only runs skin deep with the Malfoy's. Hopefully he would be quick and she could get out of his hare._

 _"_ _Granger if Weasel did this," Draco spoke gently. "Then you need to get away from him."_

 _It was a mandatory requirement for Healers to say this to "abuse" victims; Hermione would know because she was studying to become one. Until her life fell apart. She knew Draco was not concerned about her well-being, because in his eyes she would be nothing more than a filthy mud-blood._

 _"_ _If only you knew…" She whispered, because the truth was a lot worse than the rumors._

 _"_ _You are good to go," He said after he was done healing her injuries. "Now Granger, take care of yourself so I don't have to lose my appetite before my lunch break again."_

 _She laughed as he disappeared out of the door. She hasn't laughed like this in so long and it felt amazing to be able to laugh again. It didn't last long, it almost never does. Happiness was washed over with sadness and regret._

Their second meeting was two weeks after the first. They would always exchange the same banter and Draco would always tell her to be healthy so he didn't have to see her again. After the third visit, they both knew she wouldn't be staying out of his care. Draco had honestly tried so hard to help her. Merlin sometimes she wanted to shake the Ferret so badly, because he didn't see the obvious. He kept thinking Ron was abusing her and kept telling her over and over again to leave The Weasel.

She didn't know which exact visit it was, when Malfoy had finally figured out Ron wasn't the problem. Hermione had grown used to Harry constantly rushing her St. Mungo's every week. He was the only one keeping her alive…well a part from Malfoy. Hermione had also grown accustomed to blood stained clothes and messy hair. She was also used to her bed at St. Mungo's and the plain white walls. The white ceiling tiles which she has counted over and over again. _Everything she was used to will now be ripped away from her. In her brilliant yet messed up mind; she knew she had gone too far._

Outside of her hospital room, she could hear loud voices arguing over her care. It felt like she was a child of two divorced parents, being fought over and having no choice in the matter. The voices drew her over to the metal door. She sat down on the dirty cold floor with her back rested against the door.

"Send her home," Harry shouted at whom she presumed to be Draco Malfoy. "So I can take care of her. She can't stay here."

"Potter," Malfoy's voice wasn't as loud as Harry's voice was, but he did sound frustrated. "I gave you so many chances, but you failed. Granger is only getting worse. She needs professional help."

"Harry," Ginny's voice came through calm and softly. "I hate to admit it, but Malfoy is right. We can't keeping living our lives like this. I love Hermione but I also want to start having babies…and we can't do that while always being worried about Hermione."

It was quiet for a few minutes. Hermione felt her tears as they burned against her cheeks. She never wanted to be a burden to anybody. She used to be tough and strong then everything changed. Now she is seated on the floor of a hospital room waiting on what happens next. Who will suffer next because she can't fix herself. If only Harry and Ginny knew how much she tried to fix herself then maybe they would still want to help her. Hermione tried getting her life back together after the incident but slowly a dark cloud hovered over her and soon it consumed her life. She was never the same again.

"She can't stay here though," Harry's voice seemed a little more calm although still loud. "If the Press ever finds out…Hermione won't ever be fixed."

"I agree Potter," Draco said and she heard Ginny gasp. "I have a plan…now follow me this way,"

Their voices grew quieter and once Hermione was sure they were gone, she threw herself back onto the bed. All the visits before and not once did she had to spend the night in her hospital room. Draco had always let her go after he healed her, and Harry argued with the other Healers before Malfoy to let her go home. Now they have given up on her, and she didn't blame them. She gave up on herself two years ago.

"Sorry about the wait," Draco said as he walked back into her room. "My shift was longer than I expected it to be-"

"What time is it?" Hermione yawned.

She had fallen asleep after Harry and Ginny had left. They came to check on her and brought her some food, but she didn't eat it. It was a short visit, because the couple had errands to run. They had a life to get back to; one of which didn't include her anymore.

"It's 9pm," Draco yawned, because he was bloody exhausted. "Now come on, Granger…I would like to go home now-"

"You're letting me go home?" She jumped out of bed overjoyed. She wished he would change his mind.

"No," He stated. "You are not going home, but you can't stay here either. So I am the unlucky lad who is now stuck taking care of you."

"I don't understand," Hermione was confused. Why of all people would he being taking care of her?

"Merlin," Draco cussed. "Granger-come here so I can apparate us to my flat. I would like to get some sleep before my shift tomorrow." Hermione walked cautiously towards him. She was still confused to why he took her under his wing, but she was afraid to ask him another question. When she reached him; she had hesitated before putting her arms around him. Holding onto Draco for those few brief moments felt oddly relaxing. As if she belonged in his arms, but Hermione knew she didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **A/n: This story has been stuck in my head for awhile so I thought I would post it.**

His flat was clean and well organized; the opposite of the flat she was once shared with Ron. It lacked any sort of "homey" feel to it and in true Slytherin fashion the walls were grey with a green accent. It also looked as if he was hardly ever home; which is not uncommon for Healers to never be home.

"I am sure you have a million questions," He said as he remembered when they were in school and Hermione was always asking so many questions to their professors. "But I am too tired to answer them-your room is on the left and you have a personal on-suite. Now if you will excuse me…my bed is calling my name."

She watched him walk into the master bedroom to the left in the hallway behind the kitchen. The first thing she planned on doing was to take a hot shower, because she always hated smelling like a hospital. Her room was grey and their was a king sized bed in the middle with two nightstands on each side. The bathroom had black tiles and white walls _. Ugh, it's almost as if she was still staying at St. Mungo's,_ Hermione thought to herself. As she turned on the steaming hot water, she couldn't help but remember much happier times.

 _"Wow Mione," Ron gasped when he walked into their new flat. "This is incredible. You are amazing."_

 _Hermione felt the heat rise up in her cheeks as she blushed at his compliment. Ron had been gone on an Auror mission when they began looking for flats to rent. It was up to her to find the perfect flat for them and decorate it. She was elated to take on the task, because this would be their first home together._

 _"Thank you." Hermione accepted his compliment._

 _Their flat was quaint but it feel like home. After-all why would they need so much room when it would just be the two of them? When you entered the doorway the kitchen was in the left corner; it had a tiny little island with two barstools. Off to the left of the entryway was the living room. Hermione opted for a tan leather sofa with a dark chocolate brown coffee table and two maroon chairs. It was incase they had guests over, because she never wanted anyone to not have a spot to sit down. Towards the back of the flat was a tiny bathroom with a stand up shower, toilet, and sink. Their bedroom was to the right of the bathroom. Hermione had picked out Gryffindor colors for their room, because she knew how much Ron would love it._

 _She waited for him to pick out the rest of the paint colors, because she thought it would be a fun experience for them as a newly married couple. It was easy to day-dream about all the wonderful moments they would share in their new place together, because they were so damn happy._

The water scalded against her skin as the memory faded. Her tears mixed in with the water pouring down on her. Hermione never thought it might not last with Ron, because she always thought he was the one for her. She hadn't seen Ron in almost two years now. Ron had moved on with his life without her. She lived in their old home, they once shared together until Harry and Ginny took her in. It wasn't like she wanted to live with Harry and Ginny but she had no choice after being evicted from her flat.

At first Harry and Ginny didn't know why she needed a place to stay. They didn't ask a million questions unlike herself. They welcomed her in with open arms, but within a month she knew they had realized they made an awful mistake. It is easy to hide your problems during the first couple of weeks, but eventually the truth always finds a way to come out.

Harry and Ginny had taken her in after she was evicted from her flat. It was awfully nice of the married couple to offer her shelter, but it was also a lot more work to convince them she was okay. When Harry asked her why she needed a place to stay, she had lied and said her landlord was prejudice against muggle-borns. Harry being Harry had believed his best friend. However it wasn't the truth at all, she had been evicted because she wasn't paying her rent anymore. Which is what happens when you lose your job, because you were fired for being intoxicated at work.

No one had thought her, Hermione Granger could fall so hard from her pedestal. Everyone believed she would never battle alcohol addiction. They especially thought she could never harm herself, but they didn't know she was fully capable of such a thing.

 _One day_ Ginny had come home early, and found a drunk Hermione passed out of the living room sofa at 10am. Ginny hadn't been feeling well at work and was surprised to see her friend at home. Unlike Harry, Ginny was not a pushover and had told Hermione if she didn't find a job and stop drinking then she would have to leave their home. She stopped drinking after Ginny had caught her and found a low paying job at the library.

They thought she would be happy being surrounded by books, but Hermione wasn't happy. She was suppressing a lot of painful memories, and nothing, not even books could make her content. Even though she struggled with her past, Hermione had found being around her friends made her feel a little more complete. It was going well for her until around six months of living with Ginny and Harry then it all came undone. The Daily Prophet announced the engagement of Mr. Ron Weasley and Miss. Lavender Brown, and it broke Hermione's heart reading about her once lover and his new fiancee. She knew any chance she had of winning Ron back was now gone. Once again Hermione had found herself keeping a distance from her friends. She returned to her old ways which lead her to where she is now.

Hermione wrapped a white towel around her waist after she stepped out of the shower. She wondered if there would be any clothes for her in the dresser drawer. She prayed there was as she opened the top drawer. Harry had taken her wand away from a long time ago, so she couldn't use magic. She also didn't want to wake up the Beast. To her surprise there was a night gown for her to wear. It was Slytherin colors to her displeasure but she didn't have any other options. She yawned as she walked over to the bed, and climbed in. She couldn't wait for sleep to take her away from her reality.

"Granger!" Hermione had woken up to Malfoy yelling her name.

"What the bloody Hell is wrong with you?" She asked him, but she doubted he would ever give her an answer which would satisfy her.

"Wrong with me?" Malfoy shouted, "You are the one who was screaming in their sleep."

"Sorry," She didn't meet his eyes.

"Here's a dreamless potion for you to drink," Malfoy said softly this time as he placed the drink down on her nightstand. "I have to leave for work soon, but Potter said he would be over to see how you are doing."

"Why?" Her brain needed answers. "Why are you helping me?"

He didn't give her answer instead he told her he would be home late and not to wait up for him. She didn't understand why he of all people was trying to save her. Couldn't they all see? She can't be saved, because how do you save someone from themselves? Hermione gave up trying to find out the answer. She allowed herself to be swallowed in herself pity. She could have been a Healer by now if it wasn't for the incident. Her and Ron would have had children by now and they would have been happy…really happy.

Life didn't seem to be in her favor, because now she is alone. In the enemy's den to make matters worse, and her enemy wants to save her.

Hermione kept herself occupied by doing what she had done best, reading every material available to her. She would never tell Malfoy, but she was impressed with his collection of books. By the time Harry came, she had read the majority of Malfoy's books. Harry's visit wasn't a pleasant one.  
"He can help you-" Harry argued.

"No one can help me." Hermione cried, because she knew it was the truth.

"Mione please give him a chance," Harry pleaded his friend would take this opportunity to get her life back together. "I can't lose you."

Hermione merely nodded, because she couldn't promise Harry she would give Malfoy a chance. She could sense Harry had given up on her. She didn't blame him, because she would do the same if she was in his shoes.

Hermione returned to the books to give her comfort. It was oddly comforting being in Malfoy's place; it wasn't home but it was better than the hospital. She knew she should be grateful for the hospitality, but she couldn't throw away the little pride she still clung onto.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It was strange living with Malfoy. It wasn't strange because it was awful living with the Ferret, but it was actually the opposite. Hermione felt herself at ease living in his flat, and it could have been because Malfoy was almost never home. It was almost like living on her own, well at least until he came back home. However he wouldn't try to pester her, instead he would immediately walk into his bedroom and close the door. Sometimes it would bother her how he would blatantly ignore her as if she wasn't sitting right there on his sofa. On the other hand she loved the silence, because she certainly did not get any quiet time while living with Harry and Ginny. They were always pestering her about how her day was or if she had spoken to Ron recently. She loved them both dearly, but they had a hard time respecting her privacy when it came to her relationship with Ron. _At least I won't have to hear about Ron now_ , she thought to herself because she knew Malfoy would never bring up her ex-husband. There was something bothering Malfoy, she could sense it. Her intuition had never been wrong before, and after all she has been through she knows there is more to him than anyone knows.

The first week living with Malfoy was the hardest, because she wasn't used to his schedule. When she lived with the Potter's, she knew exactly when they would be home. She knew when the right time was to make herself feel something…anything even if it was pain. However Malfoy's schedule was so irregular, she never knew when was the right time. The second day living with him, she thought he would be gone the whole entire day. Once the afternoon hit, she started self-harming again. It was an addiction, a disease but she couldn't save herself from it. She couldn't overcome it and she knew the dangers of what she was doing, but it didn't matter…nothing mattered anymore.

"Bloody Hell Granger," Malfoy yelled at her; she didn't expect him to be home so early. "Do I need to find you a babysitter?"

She didn't say anything, she was ashamed. No one was supposed to know about this part of her life, and they wouldn't have if she wasn't evicted from her flat. She could only hide it from Ginny and Harry for so long before they found out her secret. They didn't understand it and thought it was a one time thing or at least she told them it was a one time thing. It wasn't until it kept happening over and over again, did the Potter's realize it was not a one time thing. After the third time Harry had to rush her to the hospital, he took away her wand. He thought it would stop if she didn't have a wand to use magic anymore, but she in return started using Muggle methods. Harry was a good guy honestly, and Hermione knew she couldn't be angry at him for taking away her wand. However he was too good of a friend when he let it go on for so long before kicking her out of his home. Honestly she knew Ginny was the reason why she was now living with Malfoy, because she knew Harry and he would have fought to keep her as far away from Malfoy as possible.

"Do I need to check your hearing too, Granger?" Malfoy said as she was snapped out of her thoughts.

"No," Hermione said as she looked up at him. He was still healing her fresh wounds. "I don't need a babysitter. I can handle myself."

Malfoy snorted at her response. "Look at where you are Granger," He said as he pocketed his wand after he was done healing her wounds. "You are living with your enemy. You can't help yourself because if you could than neither of us would be in this situation. Now if you do something like this again, I will find you a babysitter. I think Pansy Parkinson has a lot of free time nowadays."

Hermione's eyes widen with horror when he mentioned Pansy's name. No way would she let another Slytherin see her like this, especially not Pansy, because the poor girl never learned how to keep a secret. Malfoy had started to walk away when suddenly she felt an urge to say something to him. "You are hiding something too, Malfoy." She stated, but the blond haired man never turned back around; instead he walked into his bedroom and shut the door on her.

It was odd, she used to be so fiery and independent but all that changed after the incident. Now she had become a timid and shy young woman. However living with Malfoy was slowly starting to change all of that again. Her world had become too dark and now it seemed like there was a shred of light shining through. As if there was still hope she could be saved.

 _Maybe some tea would do be some good_ , she thought to herself as she made way to the kitchen. Hermione was surprised to find a Muggle tea kettle and some tea bags as well in the cupboard. She was grateful for the find, because she desperately needed the tea to give her some clarity. Malfoy was hiding something and she was determined to find out what exactly he was hiding from her. She wasn't the only with demons, because after the war…no one was the same. Harry put on a good front, but she knew he still had nightmares about Voldemort coming back to life. Ron and his family were still mourning over the loss of Fred; they would never truly accept his death. A lot of her former class mates had struggled to move on with their lives after the war; they had succumbed to alcohol and Hermione used to drink a lot with them.

At first drinking was the only way she could deal with the aftermath of war. It was only a temporary fix to her problems. Ron was there to comfort her during the times after war, but soon he was busy with Auror training. She knew she should have been happy for him, because it was his dream coming true. However he should have waited until she was okay with being on her own again before chasing after his dreams. They lost so many people they loved because of a Mad-Man but she also lost her parents in the whole mess. After the war she planned on restoring their memories, but when she found them, they were happy and she couldn't take that away from them. _What if there was another war?_ She thought to herself, because at the time many witches and wizards were on high alert about any former Death Eaters wanting to finish the Dark Lord's mission. She could not bear to have to lose her parents again, so she let them go.

Ron didn't understand why she decided to leave her parents with the false memories she had implanted. He thought she was being selfish. Ron didn't understand a lot of things about her, and sometimes she wondered how he could be so daft. He never understood why she was angry when he would come home late at night. Or why she didn't want to be a house-wife like his mother. She loved Molly dearly, she truly did but Molly coddled Ron so much he had a rough time adjusting to living on his own. Ron didn't want to bother with learning how to take care of himself. Instead he thought it should be Hermione's job to take care of him. Sometimes Hermione wondered if he would ask her to wipe his ass for him too some days.

He was good to her too, but slowly they faded out of the Honeymoon stage. At first Ron would bring her all sorts of sweets after he was done with training. He would offer to give her a massage after she had a long day training to be a healer. They were in love and it was great but staying in love was the hard part. Once Ron became an Auror, she hardly ever saw him. She tried so hard to not let the darkness take over her, but after the incident she was no longer able to hold. Ron thought she would be okay, but slowly he started losing hope. He wanted children but Hermione was adamant about not having children. He thought having children could fix their problems…fix her, but having children wouldn't fix her or their marriage. It was the final straw for Ron, he handed her divorce papers the next morning. Before Hermione could feel any way about it, he was gone.

It wasn't long until rumors started spreading about Ron courting Lavender Brown. If it had been any other witch than Lavender, maybe it wouldn't have broken Hermione's heart as much. Ron and Lavender had history together, and it felt like a slap in the face when he announced his engagement to beautiful witch. Ginny spilled the gossip about how Molly was so against Ron being with anyone other than Hermione, both the Weasley parents frowned on the divorce between Hermione and Ron. They were old fashioned and thought the couple hadn't fought hard enough to make the marriage work. Hermione loved how loyal Molly was to her, but she also felt guilty. Ron and her had been on the rocks for a long time before the divorce and he deserved happiness. After all she had put him through, he deserved someone who could love him unconditionally. Ginny was staying neutral because she had been friends with Lavender during their school years, but she knew she couldn't betray Hermione either. Harry had taken her side when it came to who Ron should be with. Harry wasn't malicious to Lavender, he simply thought Ron was a better fit with Hermione. Or at least he had until Hermione started living with him and Ginny then he realized how his two best friends weren't exactly right for one another.

 **Daily Prophet:**

 **Ronald and Lavender Weasley are expecting their first child together. The couple has been married for a year now and are elated with the news, sources say.**

Hermione read the newspaper on the kitchen counter as she sipped on her tea. She wasn't surprised to find out her ex was now expecting a child. Honestly she expected this news to come a lot earlier, because of how eager Ron was to have a child with her. She should be happy for him, but she wasn't. They were supposed to be have children together and live a long happy life with one another. The universe had different plans for them.

Hermione felt the urge come over her body, but she was trying her best to resist it. Her body quivered. It wouldn't be long until she started to itch. She needed to release this feeling of emptiness inside of her. The only way she knew how.

"Granger," an icy voice drawled from behind her. _When did he wake up_? She thought as she jumped out of her skin from being frightened. "I have been called into work. But I want you to take this potion, it helps calm your nerves. I also want you to take this parchment and start writing down your thoughts. Also here is a dreamless potion so you can fall asleep."

She took the items he was handing to her, but her mind was still racing. She felt like a little kid getting caught red handed putting their hand in the cookie jar, but Malfoy couldn't possibly inside her head. _Or could he?_ She thought, because he was a Slytherin. However she knew Harry wouldn't let her stay with Malfoy if he thought Malfoy would invade her privacy. Malfoy made his way over to the fireplace where he would use the Floo Network to get to work.

"One more thing Granger," He spun around to talk to her. "There is a surprise for you in your bedroom. Potter brought it to me the other day."

Hermione didn't say anything instead she casually walked over her bedroom wondering what Harry would have brought for her. Once she got into the bedroom, she realized Malfoy was lying there wasn't anything of her belongings in the room. Suddenly she heard the door shut behind her.

"Malfoy," She shouted as she banged against the now locked door. "Let me out of here."

After a couple of minutes of banging the door, she gave up. He was most likely already at work and without a wand she was useless. Hermione sighed as she drank the dreamless potion and fell asleep.

Hermione woke up later, but she wasn't sure how much later. The room had no clocks, but she felt her stomach begin to rumble. It must have been past lunch time. _What a genius he is, locking me in my room with no food_ , she huffed as she sat up in bed. If she was at the Potter's residence right now, Ginny would be spoon feeding her some tomato soup. Ginny thought tomato soup had some special healing powers, because she heard it was a muggle way of curing the sick. Hermione never wanted to correct her friend by letting her know it was chicken noodle soup that was supposed to make you feel better. Hermione used to love tomato soup, but now she is revolted by the smell alone.

Pop!

"Young Miss is up," a house elf gleefully cheered. "Is Miss hungry?"

 _Of course Malfoy would have a house elf_ , she rolled her eyes at this thought. As much as Hermione tried to save house elf's from their poor faiths, they didn't want her help. They were pleased to serve. She never intended on ever using a house elf, but she was hungry. "Yes, I am." she finally said as her stomach rumbled loudly.

Pop!

The house elf returned with a mince pie and pumpkin juice. She began eating the pie and drinking the pumpkin juice. "What's your name?" Hermione asked after a couple of bites. She yearned to have a conversation with someone.

"Names Mink," the house elf replied. "Young Miss was hungry."

"Yes, I was," Hermione said as she looked down at the empty plate. "What time is it, Mink?"

"It's almost 6," Mink said as she took away the empty plate and glass. "Master is not home yet."

It was almost as if Mink could read her mind. Hermione was curious to know if the Ferret was home yet, because she had an awful lot to say to him. As much as Hermione wanted to keep talking to Mink, the house elf had other duties to attend and left her alone again. She stood up from the bed and picked up the parchment Malfoy had handed to her earlier. She wondered why he wanted her to write about her feelings. She picked up a quill and dipped it into some ink. It hung in the air for a bit, before she wrote the word, _emptiness_. It was one word and she didn't go on any further.

"Granger," Malfoy's voice seeped through the doorway. "I am home now. If you want, you can come out."

Hermione ran to the door and turned the knob. Malfoy was walking to his bedroom like he had done every night since she arrived. She knew he didn't sleep much the night prior, but she was furious. "Oh no, you don't," She said as she ran after him before he could shut his door on her. "You are not hiding in your room after you locked me up all day. Are you bloody mad? I am not your prisoner-"

Malfoy turned around to face her. She could see in his eyes, he was angry. It must have been a bad day at work, but he shouldn't have locked her up like some puppy. "You are my prisoner, Granger. Scarface and Weasley couldn't handle you so now you are stuck with me. I am not going to make this easy. You want to get out of here then you will have to save yourself. And trust is earned Granger, I can't trust you to not harm yourself so until I can you will keep being a prisoner inside that room."

He turned around again to walk into his bedroom, but Hermione caught his arm and pulled him back to her. She would not tolerate to be treated this way. The old Hermione would have punched Malfoy in the face after he had gotten home. But the new Hermione wasn't as physical as she used to be. "No, I won't give you my trust until you tell me why. Why are you helping me and what secrets are you hiding. The old Malfoy would have let me die in that room, he wouldn't have sent a house elf to feed me. He wouldn't have allowed me to be in his home. The old Malfoy would have been elated to see a Mud blood cut herself and watch her slowly kill herself. The old Malfoy-"

"Sod off Granger," He yanked his arm back. "I don't have to tell you anything. Now if you don't let me sleep now, I will make you regret it."

She let him go, but not because he wanted her to but because she saw something in him. She saw the same pain in his eyes that she felt inside of herself. He winced when she said the word 'mud blood'; there was a lot more to his story. Malfoy wasted no time, he made it to his bedroom and locked the door behind him. Hermione sat down on the barstool in the kitchen, she had found another piece of parchment and some ink. She began to write down how she felt, only use single words.

 _Loneliness_

 _Heartbreak_

 _Failure_

 _Pain_

 _Regret_

 _Hopeless_

 _Betrayal_

The more she wrote, the more she felt relieved. She had never been the type of person to write down her feelings. After she was satisfied with her writing therapy, she found herself back on the chair reading another book. Her mind tried to focus on the words in front of her, but it was distracted by a Ferret, there was something he was hiding and she was determined to find out what it was.

Hermione woke up the next day and her body was aching all over. She was surprised to find Malfoy sitting up on the barstool eating breakfast. "Morning Granger," His voice drawled but he kept facing towards the kitchen. "You are making quite the habit of sleeping in that bloody uncomfortable chair."

"Yes," Hermione stood up and stretched hoping to crack some of her aching bones back to their proper places. "Well, I would have slept in the lovely bed you provided me with, but now I am afraid if I step back in that room, I won't be able to get out."

"Today is your lucky day, Granger," Malfoy said and Hermione could imagine the sly smirk he most likely had on his face. "We are going out today to run some errands. So if I were you I would hurry up and get dressed before I change my mind."

Hermione raced into the bedroom and changed as quickly as she could. Ginny had given Harry some clothes to bring over to her when Harry made his first visit. She picked out a white sundress and a pair of black flats. She tied her hair up in an up-do before she headed back into the living room.

"Hmm," Malfoy smirked as he looked at her outfit. "You are far too pale to wear white-"

"I am too pale? Have you looked in the mirror." Hermione snorted.

Malfoy flicked his wand and before Hermione could say another word, the once white dress was now lavender. "Much better," He smirked. "Now come on Granger, we are leaving. Unless you want to stay locked in room all day wearing that dress, I suggest you follow me."

He was walking over to the front door of the flat. Hermione sighed as she followed behind Malfoy. Her sanity couldn't take one more day locked in that room until Malfoy decided to let her out. The fresh air would do her some good anyway even if meant she had to spend the day with Malfoy. Harry and Ginny rarely let her out of the house after Ginny found out about her losing he her job because of drinking.

The warm air brushed against her skin as soon as they stepped out onto the streets of London. Malfoy was a fast walker and he wasn't going to slow down his pace for her. So Hermione had to lightly jog to keep up with him. They passed by the shops and she wondered where they were going. After two miles Malfoy walked inside a little cafe which seemed secluded, she had followed him in. The cafe was small and intimate and Hermione was curious to know how Malfoy stumbled upon it. Malfoy seemed to be looking for someone because he walked by the 'wait to be seated' sign.

"Potter," Malfoy drawled as he greeted Harry who had sitting down at a table in the back of the cafe.

"Malfoy," Harry said as he stood up and shook Malfoy's hand before he turned to Hermione. "Hermione, I have missed you."

His arms were spread out wide for a hug and Hermione happily accepted his hug. She missed him too, but she was still angry with Harry. She was now Malfoy's prisoner because of Harry, but deep down Hermione knew it was all her fault. Harry was a great friend and he deserved to live his life without all of her problems being in his way.

"I have missed you too," She said finally as she let go of his embrace.

"Gin, should be here soon." He told her and Hermione smiled, because she desperately needed to talk to Ginny.

As if on cue Ginny walked into the cafe and made her towards them. Harry gave her a quick greeting kiss. Hermione engulfed her into a hug. "I have missed you too, Mione," The red-head girl said. "But please let me breathe."

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled as she released her friend.

"Potter," Malfoy turned his attention back to Harry. "I think it is best to leave the ladies alone so they can catch up. Plus we have some matters to attend to."

Hermione's interest peaked when she heard Harry had some matters to take care of with Malfoy. _What is up with Harry being all buddy-buddy with Malfoy_ , Hermione thought as she watched the two former enemies walk out of the cafe.

"So Gin what is new with you?" Hermione asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"Harry and I were planning to have a baby," Ginny paused and Hermione felt her heart sink. "But with the new proposal in the family we have put it on the back burner again. We just don't think it's the right time to have a baby when the house-hold is divided."

Hermione felt sorry for her friend, because she knew how much Ginny wanted to be a mother. At first Hermione was in the way of them having a child, and now Ginny's family is there way because of Ron's new engagement. When she was married to Ron there had been talk about a pregnancy pack between them, but things are different now.

"Your family shouldn't stop you from being a mother," Hermione offered her best advice for her friend. "And just because Ronald and I didn't work out doesn't mean he should never be happy again. I will admit I was hurt when I heard the news, but I understand why he moved on. I am slowly moving on as well. No one should get in the way of his happiness, because for so many years he was unhappy."

"Hermione, he still loves you," Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend's foolishness. "He is only with Lavender because he thinks it will make you jealous. But judging by the color on your dress, I don't think you are affected by it. Don't tell me you are falling for Malfoy."

"No," Hermione exclaimed. "Malfoy hexed my dress so it turned to lavender. Honestly you don't have to worry about me falling for the Ferret. The other day he locked me up in my room until he was done with work."

"That's nice, Hermione," Ginny said nonchalant. "I am glad he is helping you. But Hermione please don't stop loving Ron because he is engaged and you are living with Malfoy. We all know you are the only one who should be with Ron."

"Gin," Hermione gasped. "Did you not just hear me say Malfoy locked me up. Why are you so focused on Ron and mine's failed marriage?"

Before Ginny could say anything more, Malfoy and Harry had returned. Ginny kissed her husband and said a quick good-bye saying they had plans for dinner. Hermione could only guess her friends were about to head over to the Burrow for dinner. Molly probably had made a huge feast to celebrate the newly engaged couple like she had when Ron and Hermione were engaged.

"Wishing you had married Potter," Malfoy remarked as he stared at the married couple as they walked out of the cafe all smitten over one another. "Maybe you would still be married and not living with your enemy."

"Sod off, Malfoy," Hermione said as she stood up and started to walk away from him. "You don't know anything about me."

She felt a strong hand grab her arm and yank her back towards his body. She was now standing in front of him with little space between them. "On the contrary," Malfoy smirked as he lifted his hand and moved a stray strand of her hair out of her face. "I think I know more about you than you would like to admit. I know parts of you that Potter and Weasel were too afraid of."

She was stunned by his words, because she had a feeling they were the truth. Harry and Ron knew her very well, but there was something she had been hiding from them for a long time. Malfoy started to walk back home and she followed him like some lost puppy. How times have changed since they were in school.

When they reached his flat, Malfoy walked into his room like he always did. She found herself anxious and she tried to work through it. She again found a piece of parchment and quill and started writing down her thoughts.

 _Unwanted_

 _Scarred_

 _Weakness_

 _Angry_

Hermione felt an urge she hadn't felt in a few months. She needed a drink and fast. Seeing Harry and Ginny so happy and love hurt her. Hearing Ginny talk about Ron and his new engagement felt like daggers to her heart. They all have moved on while she was left in the dust. Hermione tip-toed to the front door hoping Malfoy had forgotten to lock it, and to her surprise the door opened with a simple twist.

She walked into the bar which wasn't packed because it is the middle of the week. Before she could order a drink, she saw something that couldn't be unseen. Draco Malfoy was seated at the barstool drunk off his ass. I should have known there was a reason the door was unlock, she thought as she timidly approached him.

"Gran…ger," He greeted her with a smile on his face, Hermione couldn't think of a time she ever saw the Ferret smile. "You found me!"

She wondered how many drinks he had before she found him, because he definitely did not seem like a light drinker. "Come on Draco, " She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the barstool. "It is time to go home."

"But the party is just getting started," He whined but she wouldn't let him stay any longer. She knew the Press would love to see Malfoy like this, and after all he has done for her, she couldn't let that happen.

She took it upon herself to bring them back to his flat. Draco stumbled to his bed and Hermione was about to let him go when she saw something. It was his Death Eater Mark, the hair on her arms stood up and for a moment and she found herself frozen in time.

Draco Malfoy had come a long way from his old slime ball self in their younger years. If she didn't know Malfoy from their youth and meet him today, she would never have thought he was once apart of Voldemort's army.

At the time, she didn't understand why Malfoy lead the Death Eater's to Dumbledore, ultimately causing his death. However after the war she understood why, Malfoy was a pawn in Voldemort's game and his parents never taught him any better. His friends were followers so he didn't have them to direct him into the right direction.

"Did it hurt?" Her eyes were still fixated on his mark.

"No," He turned around to face her, and immediately she felt horrible for asking. "It didn't hurt as much as losing my family to a mad-man."

She had forgotten about Narcissa's death after the war; she was supposed to be in protection after it was revealed she aided the Light by saying Harry was dead when he was not. Lucius Malfoy rotted away in Azkaban only a year after Voldemort was defeated. No one knew for certain if Lucius committed suicide over his wife's death or as an ultimate sign of loyalty to the Dark Lord. Hermione was so caught up in her own life, she didn't realize how much Draco lost such a short time period.

"I'm sorry," She looked up at his grey eyes this time, because she wanted him to know she meant it. "I am sorry about your mother's death and your father's death. You lost so much because of the war."

"Thank you," It felt odd to him to be thanking Hermione Granger, but he could sense her sincerity. "I should take an anti-hangover potion before I go to bed. I have an early shift tomorrow and I have a feeling it will be a long one."

"What happened today?" Curiosity took over her rational mind.

"I was reminded of my past," He was short with his answer, and she didn't press him any further.

Instead she let him go to bed while she tried to get him off of her mind. She wanted to know what had caused him to drink so heavily. Since leaving with Malfoy, she never saw him have one drink so it wasn't typical for him to get wasted. Hermione hadn't even seen Malfoy go out after work, he usually comes home and immediately goes into his room. I wonder what his routine was before I was forced to live here, she thought. It didn't seem like he had much of a life outside of work which was surprising to her considering he was popular during their school years. He also didn't seem to have a love life or if he did than he kept it extremely well hidden and a secret. She heard a rumor he was supposedly engaged to Astoria Greengrass, but she was so busy planning her and Ron's wedding she didn't know what happened after that. Back then she didn't realize other people were hurting because of the war. She was too wrapped up in her own world to see anyone else's pain. Now it is different because she is the one hurting and everyone else seems to be happy and have moved on from the past. Everyone except her and Malfoy that is.

She picked up the piece of parchment she had abandoned earlier and picked up the quill. She wrote one more word before she went to bed.

 _Determination_


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Hermione woke up to an empty flat. To her surprise Malfoy hadn't locked her back in her bedroom. Instead she was able to cook some breakfast and start her plan of finding out what Malfoy was hiding. Malfoy was not the type of person to spill all of his secrets even in a drunken state, he was still reserved and secretive. She was surprised to find a 'thank you' note left behind by the Ferret. Luckily for Hermione, Malfoy had left a time frame of when he would be home. After she had finished eating her eggs and toast, she began to search the flat for any information about her flat mate.

The book shelves is were she had started to look, because Hermione knew how important a book could be. She began to skim over the titles of the books, but none of them seemed to be personal to Malfoy. It was a dead end. She made her way over to Malfoy's bedroom door, but she stopped halfway before she could reach it. This is wrong, Hermione thought. It was one thing to snoop through his living room but it was another to invade the privacy of his bedroom.

She turned around and with a heavy sigh sat down in her chair. What would Ginny do, she asked herself; because Ginny was skilled in the art of finding out information no one else knows about.

"Mink," Hermione smiled deviously as she called for the house-elf. What better way to get so information than to talk to Malfoy's house-elf.

"Misses called," Mink appeared in front of Hermione. "What can Mink do for you?"

"Mal-Draco was in a terrible mood last night," Hermione said with concern in her voice. She had to convince Mink, she was genuinely concerned for the Ferret. "Do you know why? I am concerned about him."

Mink looked puzzled and Hermione knew why, house elf are not supposed to defy their masters and sharing Malfoy's secret would defy his rules. "Master is bad mood at this time of year," Mink said after a couple of minutes. "He will be better now. I made his favorite soup."

"What happened to him?" Hermione pressed for more information.

"Does Misses need anything else?" Mink ignored her.

Hermione shook her head and Mink disappeared to finish the rest of the house work. Hermione wished she could have occupied her thoughts with anything else but Malfoy. However after seeing him so vulnerable last night, she knew something happened to him.

The day dragged on and she found herself bored. Mink wasn't giving up any of Malfoy's secrets and she couldn't find anything of his. If a stranger walked into his flat, they would have no clue it belonged to Draco Malfoy. There was no pictures, no achievements, nothing. In her and Ron's house it was the exact opposite. The moment you stepped in you could visibly see all of the pictures of them decorated around the house. Ron was prideful in his achievements and made sure everyone else could see them. Hermione was more reserved, she didn't want magazine covers of herself hung up around their flat. She was never into the 'fame' of being apart of The Golden Trio. In fact she hated going out in public right after The War because everyone wanted her autograph and a picture. If she was with Ron or Harry they would always be bombarded by pesky reporters. Harry didn't like the attention either, but Ron loved it. He would sit and talk to Rita Skeeter for hours and then when he saw the published article he would be angry with all the lies she would tell. However he never learned to turn her down for an interview. It was an endless cycle and somehow Hermione would always get the blame for his bad publicity.

She didn't want their wedding to be a huge spectacle, but Ron insisted on doing a full interview in Witch Weekly and be on the cover of the magazine. Again he was surprised when uninvited guest arrived at their wedding asking for autographs. Although he was one who publicly announced when and where they were going to get married. The dream to have a small and intimate wedding was ruined. She was furious at him for ruining her day, but Ron didn't understand what the big deal was. They were going to be the talk of the town in his mind that was a very good thing.

Looking back Hermione should have seen all the red flags in their relationship. They had always been so opposite. She and Harry would have been a better fit, but they never felt anything more than friendship for each other. Ron was just always kind of there, and after some time she had some feelings towards him. He was a git about it. Always temperamental when it came to not getting his way. He was mad at her for going with Krum to the Yule Ball, but he never asked her and assumed they would just go together. He was mad at her for being jealous of his relationship with Lavender during their school years. He never let that one go even after they were married. He would always talk about how she should have treated Lavender better and been more open to the girl. If she tried to say he wasn't open with her relationship with Krum, he would become defensive and say it was a different story. She should have known Ron still harbored some feelings for Lavender, but she was slightly naive and thought he would never love anyone except for her.

Hermione was about to write down her feelings again when suddenly Harry was in the flat and he was holding onto a bleeding Malfoy.

"What happened?" She asked as she ran over to them.

"I will tell you later," Harry said rushed as he threw Malfoy at her. "I have to take care of something."

Before she could ask him anymore questions Harry was gone and she was left to take care of a bleeding Malfoy. She almost fell over when Harry had thrown Malfoy into her arms, but Malfoy adjusted so all of his weight wouldn't be on her. They walked over to the sofa and she helped him lay down.

"You're bleeding," She noticed his wounds were bad. "We should take you to St. Mungo's."

"No," Malfoy shut her down. "There is no need to go there. You can heal my wounds, Granger."

"I don't have a wand," Hermione pointed out. She missed having her wand. She didn't feel like a witch without it.

Malfoy reached into the pocket of his black robe and handed her a wand. It was her wand and she squeezed it close to her chest once she had it back in her possession. She quickly healed his wounds. "You would make a great healer." Malfoy smirked once she was done.

"You're lucky I am not a healer, because otherwise you would have no patients." She retorted.

"Thanks," He said in a whisper. Hermione almost didn't hear his thank you.

"You should rest," She ignored to acknowledge the little thank you, because she had a feeling it wasn't something he was used to saying. "Mink said she made your favorite soup."

Malfoy nodded his head as he took in her information. He was now seated up right on the sofa and she was about to walk into her bedroom to write when something came over her. This was the only time they had truly spoken to one another since she arrived at his flat. It was also her only opportunity to try to pry some information out of him.

"What happened?" She asked with hesitation in her voice. She knew she shouldn't have asked him, but she was worried about him.

"Nothing serious," He said nonchalantly as he walked over to the kitchen. "I got into a fight but you should see the other guy."

Mink had left two bowls of soup on the kitchen counter. Malfoy sat down in the chair and began to eat. Hermione sat down next to him and looked into her bowl. "Chicken noodle," She noted as she picked up the spoon to grab a bite.

"I heard it is supposed to cure the sick," Malfoy said. "Or at least that is what Muggles believe."

"How do you know about that myth?" She was dumbfounded that Draco Freaking Malfoy would know about an old muggle myth.

"There is a lot about me that you don't know, Granger." His voice was colder this time as if she struck a nerve with him.

"Sorry," She apologized for presuming he was still the same git he was when they were in school. "You are right I don't know much about you but I would like to. We are living together and I think we should get to know one another."

"You haven't earned my trust yet," He said as he stood up and walked towards his bedroom.

Hermione sighed as she watched him go. Breaking Malfoy would be a lot tougher than she thought. She thought about telling him, her own secret in hopes he would share one of his with her but she knew the Slytherin better than that. He would never share any intimate detail about his life with her or at least not willingly. She was about to go to bed when his bedroom door opened.

"Almost forgot Granger," Malfoy's voice was rough as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber. "I need your wand back. Potter will kill me if he ever found out I let you have it so soon."

"Why do you have my wand?" She asked knowing he would most likely not answer her question.

"Simple once you earn my trust then you get your wand back," His hand reached out to her. She placed her wand into his open palm.

"Trust is a two-way street," She let her words hang in the air.

If he wanted her to trust him then she would need his trust in return. She heard his bedroom door close as she sat back down in her chair, a book in her hand ready to take her mind away from here. However as soon as she was about to begin reading her book, Harry came busting through the Flo-Network.

"Where is Malfoy?" Harry roared.

Before Hermione could answer him, Malfoy had walked into the living room. "I think it would best we discuss this outside," Malfoy said calmly as he shot a quick glance at Hermione.

Harry nodded his head and the two gentlemen walked outside of the apartment away from Hermione's listening ears. She was furious at both of them. She felt like a child with how they are treating her. To make matters worse she was too angry to read her book now. So in the meantime she cooked up dinner and tidied up the flat while she waited for Malfoy to return. It reminded her so much about her life with Ron and how she would eagerly wait for him to come home. She wanted his approval so much. Hermione couldn't remember when she gave up all her own dreams to be a house-wife, but it happened. The once ambitious spitfire of a young girl turned into a Molly Wesley in the making. It wasn't the full reason of why Hermione had a mental breakdown of the century, but it was a part of the puzzle.

Hermione found herself writing down her thoughts again.

 **Housewife**

 **Strong**

 **In**

She heard the front door of the flat open, and in walked Malfoy without her friend Harry. Hermione assumed Harry had gone home to Ginny. She wished he would have said goodbye to her although. Malfoy sat down in front of the now cold plate of food and quietly muttered a warming spell before he ate his dinner.

"You're welcome," Her voice sounded frustrated and it matched how she felt on the inside. Hermione had become frustrated with her living arrangements and the short leash Malfoy had her on.

He didn't say, 'thank you' instead he kept eating until he was finished. Hermione knew how hard it was to get a simple thank you out of Malfoy. "What happened the night I found you at the bar?" She pressed him further about when he was drunk.

"Granger," His voice was hoarse. "Know your place. I am not the patient, you are."

"I might be a mess, but at least I was never a Death Eater." It was a low blow, and Hermione knew it, but she couldn't think of a better comeback.

Malfoy slammed his fists down on the counter as he stood up from the barstool. He was mad and he had every right to be. "Get out of my house," His voice was frigid.

Hermione took at as her only opportunity to leave and ran out of the front door leaving her prison behind. Malfoy didn't chase after her like Harry would have. Instead she found herself on the streets and with nowhere to go. The air was crisp and Hermione wished she had a sweater instead of her grey t-shirt.

She began walking down the sidewalk towards the warm shops with people still bustling through the doors to run last minute errands. It felt odd having so much freedom to explore the world around herself again. Hermione missed being able to control her own life. She had spent two years under Ginny and Harry's roof and three months living with Malfoy. Neither parties trusted her with going outside of the houses instead she was held up like a prisoner. Sometimes she wondered if her time spent living with Harry was worse than living in Azkaban.

The wind howled and goosebumps suddenly covered her exposed arms. Hermione quickly ran into the nearest shop which happened to be one of her favorite bookstores. Henry, the shop's owner was busy with a couple of costumers at the checkout when she had walked in, but he still had managed to give her a smile which she happily returned back to him.

"How exciting a new bundle of joy coming into your life," Henry said to the costumers as he looked at the books which they were about to purchase.

Hermione had walked down the first aisle of book shelves carefully examining the titles of each book and hoping she would find one she has not read yet. For the first time in a long time she felt at peace with her life. Harry and Ron always thought she was crazy when she told them, "Books always have the right answers to any question or any life situation." and this feeling she felt at the moment made her believe books do have all the right answers to the questions she had.

"Yes, dear we cannot wait for the birth of our new grandchild." a familiar voice banged through the entire book store.

Hermione could recognize Molly Weasley's voice anywhere, and suddenly her happiness she was feeling was now disappearing. She wished the floor would open up from underneath her, and swallow her whole. She had not seen her ex-mother in-law in years, and this was not the way she imagined seeing Molly again.

Molly was supposed to run into her when she was no longer a mess, and a successful single woman. Hermione loved Molly, she truly did but people change after divorces and Molly changed. It was the hardest part of her divorce from Ron; she was not only separated from Ron but also from the woman whom she once considered to be a second mother. Molly was always overprotective of her youngest son, Ron so when Hermione announced she would be separating from her son, Molly felt as though she had to protect her son from any further harm. She loved Hermione as if she was truly the second daughter, she never had but Ron was her baby boy and seeing him so broken from the separation created a rift between herself and Hermione.

Molly was not fond of Lavender at first, because she was still holding out hope for a reconciliation between Ron and Hermione. Eventually she warmed up to Lavender and now with a baby on the way, she is over the moon for the couple.

Hermione stood frozen in her spot as Lavender and Molly were approaching the door to leave. She hoped the books would shield her enough from the pair, so they wouldn't see her. Hermione didn't even know what she looked like, but she remembered Lavender was always focused on looking good.

"Thank you Molly," the blond haired woman said. "I am grateful you have been so supportive of this pregnancy and my relationship with Ron."

There was a pregnant pause before Molly responded to Lavender, "I should be the one thanking you, Dear. You came into Ronald's life when he was a bloody mess and put him back together again. After Hermione ruined him, I was worried he would never find love again."

Hermione felt like Molly had stabbed a dagger into her heart, she knew Molly loved her son immensely but she never thought Molly would feel so much hatred towards her. If only Molly knew the truth then maybe she would understand. She never wanted to hurt Ron.

Hermione stared out the shop's window as she watched the blond and red haired women walk down the street and out of sight. She sighed heavily before returning her attention back to books.

The shop's door opened again, but Hermione didn't hear it as she was in her own world wondering what her life could have been if she never divorced Ron.

"There you are," a stone cold voice shook Hermione out of her own world, bringing her back to reality. "Time to go, Granger."

"No, I am not going back with you." Hermione had put her foot down to the blond haired man standing before her.

"Yes, you are." His voice was stern.

Before Hermione could protest, Malfoy had grabbed her arm and dragged her out of her happy place. She tried to pull away from her, but his grip was strong. The streets were light up with the lamp posts, leading them back to his flat. Witches and wizards bustled past them and no one seemed concerned with how Malfoy was handling her.

"Hermione!" Molly Weasley yelled so loudly Malfoy had released her arm.

"Molly-" Hermione turned to face her ex-mother in-law.

"You left Ronald for a Death Eater?" Molly accused and avoided making eye-contact with Malfoy.

"A step up if you ask me," Malfoy sneered as his hand reached out for Hermione's. "Now if you excuse us, we have had a long day."

"I can't believe you would stoop this low," Molly shook her head. "He is a Death Eater. He helped murder Dumbledore. He hates Muggles…and you choose to leave my son for him? You have disappointed me."

Hermione had felt Malfoy's hand tightened when Molly was using his past against him. She didn't like her living situation, but Malfoy was none of those things Molly accused him of being. He helped her more than Ronald ever had. "He was a Death Eater as in past tense," Hermione defended Malfoy. "I am sorry Ronald and I couldn't make it work, but he has moved on. Why can't I? I used to think of you as a second mum, but now I know you only protect your blood."

Hermione walked away from Molly, and it also felt like she was shutting a door to her past. Malfoy was still holding her hand when they made it back to his flat. Once they were inside the flat, he let go of her hand and Hermione couldn't shake the feeling of how nice it felt to hold his hand. 'You have been single for too long' she thought.

"Why did you have to make it seem like we are a couple?" She asked him.

"She assumed we were, and now I will sleep like a baby knowing the Weasel will be going mad thinking we are together." Malfoy said with a small laugh. He was still so childish when it came to Ron.

"You are so childish," Hermione exclaimed. "And I know Molly, she can't keep a secret so it won't be long until Rita Skeeter writes an article about us. What if Ron comes and tries to fight you? And he finds out the truth then what? This is not a joke to me."

"Why do you care about what everyone thinks of you?"

Hermione was not ready for that question, because she used to not care about other people's opinion of her. She prided herself in being different from the other girls at school, who cared about their looks and what boys thought of them. She couldn't remember the specific time in which she stopped caring and started to care about other people's opinion. "I don't, care." She lied.

"You are lying," Malfoy took a step closer to her. "You do care and more importantly you care about The Weasel when he obviously never cared about-"

"Ron did care, but I pushed him away," She defended her ex-husband.

Malfoy took another step closer, and Hermione immediately felt uneasy with how close he was. "If he cared, he would have come to all the times you were in the hospital…he would have picked you up and took care of you. He should have been a man and not a scared little boy."

Hermione felt the hot tears as they streamed down her face. Malfoy did not know Ron like how she knew Ron. He did care, but she pushed him to move on with his life. "He did care, but I told him to move on," She cried. "And he never knew about my self-harm, I made Harry swear to never tell Ron about it."

Malfoy stared at her, before he delivered his final blow. "He never loved you, because if he had he wouldn't have walked away."

He had turned away and started to walk down the hallway to his room, but Hermione was not about to let him win. "What do you know about love?"

"I know more about love than you, Granger." He said before he slammed his bedroom door shut.

Hermione sulked into her bedroom and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Hermione had woken up to a loud bang on her bedroom door.

"Mione open up this door," Harry shouted as he banged the door again. "I have to talk to you."

Hermione slid out of bed, but before she opened her door she tied her hair up into a bun and put on some clothes. She also decided to do her make-up as she was looking a little rough this morning. Finally ten minutes later, she opened the door to come face to face with her best friend.

"Please tell me, you aren't dating Malfoy," Harry whined.

Hermione could not help but to laugh at her friend, because he was acting like a child. He should know she would never date Malfoy. "Honestly Harry," She said with a chuckle. "Why would you ever think I would date Malfoy?"

Harry should have known better that Hermione would never actually date Malfoy. He knew the truth, but when Molly told everyone at dinner last night he had forgotten about the living arrangement. "Sorry," He said. "I feel silly for even believing for a single second you would date the Ferret. But you have spent a lot of time with him now, and he has changed a lot since our school years. Again sorry for thinking it could have been a possibility."

"Harry, what happened that day?" She changed the subject, because she wanted to know something about Malfoy. It felt fair for her to know one thing about her roommate.

"Sorry, Mione but I swore I wouldn't tell you," Harry sighed. "I should get back to work, but I brought you something new to read."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she took the newspaper out of his hands.

They said their goodbye's and Hermione placed the newspaper down on the island so she could make herself breakfast. There was a note left on the counter from Malfoy. 'Granger, I am sorry about yesterday. I won't be home until late, but I advise you don't go outside today unless you want to be slammed by reporters. Again sorry, I should have known Mother Weasel would squeal.' She had read his note. Hermione was surprised he apologized not once, but twice. However she was mad, she couldn't go on a stroll in the afternoon.

She sat down with her eggs and toast and picked up the paper to read.

 **Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy are engaged to be married**

She couldn't help but laugh at the title. Rita was always known to embellish the truth. Apparently Rita had found two "sources" close to the couple to expose all the details of the engagement. Hermione was mostly intrigued by one section in particular, ' **Mr. Draco Malfoy was previously engaged to Daphne Greeengrass and Hermione Granger was previously married to Ronald Weasley prior to their relationship'** Hermione didn't know Malfoy was engaged to Daphne. She wondered what had happened between them, because Malfoy never spoke about his ex. Although Malfoy never spoke about his own life; he always focused on her life.

Hermione placed the paper down on the black counter. She didn't want to read anymore lies. She wanted to know the truth. She looked down the hallway to his white bedroom door. What was he hiding behind his door? She thought as her feet guided her over to his door. It was wrong to snoop, but he knew so much about her and she knew so little about him. It would even the odds. Her hand reached out for the doorknob, and she slowly twisted it. 'Its probably locked' she thought before she pushed it open, and to her surprise he didn't lock it.

Hermione's jaw dropped as she looked into his room. She had opened up a worm hole and now Malfoy had a lot of explaining to do.


End file.
